Thyroid-stimulating hormone binding to beef thyroid membranes. Role of N-acetylneuraminic acid.

The effect of sugars on 125I-thyroid-stimulating hormone binding to beef thyroid membranes was studied to determine their role in thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) binding. At 0.1 M concentration, N-acetylneuraminic acid produced a 3- to 7-fold increase in TSH binding, was the only sugar to enhance TSH binding, and did so whether binding was determined in the cyclase medium or under conditions of optimum binding. The enhanced TSH binding remained after the membranes were removed from the high NeuAc concentration and an effect was observed at concentrations of 10 mM NeuAc. NeuAc did not alter the kinetics of TSH binding but the pH optimum for TSH binding shifted from pH 5.5 to 7.5 in the presence of NeuAc. Incubation of the membranes with increasing concentrations of NeuAc resulted in increased sialic acid content of the membranes. The NeuAc concentration curve of membrane sialic acid and TSH binding were roughly parallel. The capacity of the low affinity site increased from 0.74 to 2.5 nmol/mg of protein in the presence of NeuAc. The apparent affinity (0.88 X 10(6) M-1) of this site was unaffected by NeuAc. With the high affinity site, NeuAc increased both the apparent affinity and capacity from 2.2 X 10(8)M-1 to 5.5 X 10(8) M-1 and 1.6 to 3.1 pmol/mg of protein, respectively. Neuraminidase or neuraminidase plus beta-galactosidase incubation of the membranes removed approximately 60% of the sialic acid from the membranes within 15 to 30 min but did not affect TSH binding. Large quantities of sialic acid were detected in the soluble fractions during isolation of the membranes, 4 to 5% of which was ultrafilterable and not associated with high molecular weight proteins. It is concluded that among the sugars tested, NeuAc exhibits an unique effect on TSH binding that may have physiological significance. The inability to alter TSH binding by enzymatic removal of endogenous sialic acid suggests that either NeuAc resistant to hydrolysis is sufficient to maintain TSH binding or that NeuAc important in TSH binding is removed during membrane preparation but is replaced by incubation with exogenous NeuAc.